“Three little school bagssitting in a rowThree little school bagsall set to go.”

Yup. This is the year I send all three of my ‘little people’ off to school. In three weeks my baby girl will join her big sisters by clambering onto the school bus every morning – leaving mummy home alone to ponder where the past nine and a half years have gone. In lots of ways I’m all kinds of ready for this. It’s time and it feels good. I’ve been focused on babies and preschoolers for nine and a half years (wow that’s a long time people) and I’m hanging out for some fully focused me time – even if it happens while I’m at work. But then there is also a little part of me that is holding onto some serious emotional heart-break too, because my baby is starting school (sob).

So, while I hide away my bleeding heart, the kids are all starting to get excited about the new school year. I’ll have a grade 4 girl, a grade 2 girl and a brand new foundation girl (which I’m told is the new way we refer to prep class in Victoria – who knew that?). For me that means I will need to organise three of everything over the coming weeks. Uniforms, lunch-boxes, drink bottles, pencil cases, hats, shoes – the list is endless and needless to say with three it’s getting a little pricey. Just as well I’m planning a return to work, otherwise I think I’d have to keep one of them home each year just to make ends meet.

Luckily for me, and my stationery obsessed little clan, this week Target sent us a collection from their Back to School 2014 range so we can try it out and tell you what we think. The girls each got sent one of those beautiful backpacks in the photo above, along with a lunch-box set, drink bottle and, all hail to God for his glorious mercies, a collection of stationery.

What I love most about Target’s Back to School 14 collection is the fact that they seem to have something to suit every budget. Almost all of the items are cute and appealing to kids, with lots of popular characters and trendy colours, but also lots of price points. Of course, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. The cheaper gear doesn’t feel like it will last as well as its more expensive counterparts – but for the money you pay I have to say it’s still pretty impressive.

Another thing that strikes me about the range is that there are loads of items that are staple stationery needs of every family – and they are all priced really well. Three dollars for a 500 sheet pack of printing paper anyone? (The way that stuff gets used around here I think I’ll be getting a few more of them to ferret away.) I also love the 42 piece stationery set. Only five dollars and filled with all of the back to school essentials. It’s not flashy or branded – but it’s sound quality and will cover most of the those pesky stationery list must haves.

So a big thank-you Target for sending me this lovely back to school gift for my girls – who now have three gorgeous brand new bags to ALL head off to school with in 2014. Gulp! They are delighted (so much so I had to tear the stuff back out of their hands so I could attempt to get pictures) and I have to say I’m very pleased with all of the products and the lovely saving potential they represent for everyone. I think the backpacks are my favourite and not just because they’re on sale!

Target has also kindly given me three $25.00 gift voucher to giveaway to you to help with your own back to school mayhem. To enter simply follow these four steps:

In the comments below give me your best back to school tip. The best three tips, as judged by me , will win.

If you’re nice enough to share this giveaway on Facebook then please feel free to leave a second entry comment.

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Please leave an email addressthat you check regularly – as giveaways are redrawn if you don’t respond within 5 days.

Giveaway is open until Midnight 2oth January, 2014

No entries will be accepted after this time.

All decision are final and based on skill not luck.

(Check the T&C tab for full T&C).

Disclaimer: I order to keep this blog running from time to time I do accept sponsored post. This means that I received compensation to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will be good for my readers and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Let young children wear their new school clothes for a day (or half day at least) along with trying out their school bag, lunch box with real food, so that they can get used to unzipping bags, taking lids off/putting back on, and managing possibly tighter fitting clothes (than play clothes).

Food keeps the belly happy and the mind focused! So I always like to make protein-packed lunches on the first day of school, making sure to make sandwiches with everyone’s favourite fillings – the sort that brings a smile when nibbled on. To keep the food fresh and cool, I also like to pack a frozen tub of yogurt & put all the fillings between two bits of lettuce so the bread doesn’t get soggy!

My tips are to re-use school supplies if possible, buy some extra supplies for the rest of the school year and take advantage of clearance sales.
At the end of the school year my kids always come back with leftover school supplies, I like to put all the leftovers in a box and use those supplies for homework, projects and crafts.
When buying the supplies for the new year I like to buy a few extras so they can last the whole year.School supplies are way cheaper during back to school season so I stock up. (Learned this the hard way. Spending $4 for a binder when I could have paid $1 for it is not acceptable)
My kids wear uniforms to school so we buy the polo shirts and pants when we find them on clearance (usually a few months after school starts) we tend to buy a size up or two to make sure the clothes fits during the next school year. We are already set for this coming year, one less thing to worry about and I paid almost 75% less of retail price.

My son starts Kindy this year. To make the transition from day-care easier I have organised play dates with children who he will be going to school with, so Mr 5 will already have friends and familiar faces around when he starts.

It’s easy to overcome grumbling, groaning and out-right tantrums over school shoe shopping if you have little girls… just watch Cinderella with them the day before and they’ll be dying to try on their shoes and prove they’re a princess!

Be prepared the night before:
– make lunches,
-have clothes (not just school uniforms but also mums clothes and younger siblings clothes) and shoes laid out,
– make sure readers/homework is done asap,
-sign any permission slips (with money if needed).
I think if these things are done the night before, there is a lot less stress in the morning and then if you have forgotten to do something, you wont be running out of time due to having done everything the night before.

Hey there. Love your comment on my Target Back to School post so much that you’re a winner Can you email me your address and I’ll organise for your $25 voucher to be posted out. Thanks so much for entering and following along with The Truth About Mummy. CazxxCaz recently posted..A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE JANUARY THINGS

Remember the ABC –
– A is for alarm – remember to set it and set it right
– B is for books – all reading materials and books ready and in school bag
– C is for calmness – for us mums need to keep calm and stay alive, haha!

MY BEST ADVICE (SPEAKING FROM FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE) TO AVOID THOSE FIRST FEW DAYS OF ACHING, SORE FEET, IS TO HAVE YOUR CHILDREN WEAR THEIR ‘NEW’ SCHOOL SHOES AROUND THE HOUSE SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS. THIS HELPS SOFTEN THEM UP A LITTLE AND WILL REDUCE ANY INITIAL DISCOMFORT!!

With a week and a half of holidays left, hubby and I have started the chirpy “Wow, holidays have been great but it’s also great that school starts back soon. Wow, it’s great that Jack’s in your class next year. Wow, you’ll be a big grade oner this year, that’s so exciting!” and so on….!

What I don’t like, because it’s not very nice
Is the possibility of the kids getting head lice!
We’ve already experienced one infestation
Oh, the nuisance, and sheer devastation!
I try to maintain a positive perspective
But even the products are often ineffective!
Not to mention the time and cost
And combing guarantees patience will be lost!
So, my top tip for back to school would be
Tie hair up, and use a defence spray with tea tree
Hopefully this will be enough to stop the nits
Because they really do give you the sh… sads!!!

Back to School Tip – Be super organised before January by buying little things each week so that there is not a big expensive trip just before school starts.
We like to buy “Stationery” items as Christmas Gifts {for our Highschooler} as it helps to get the list started. And then Grandparents help as well, by buying the bigger ticket items. Its incredible how much they need every year to go back with, so I make sure that all the books from the year before has been used…if there is any books that have not had all of the pages filled up then I recycle that book with new “contact” cover, and take out the few pages that have been used! Makes sense instead of buying books all of the time and leaving the un-used ones laying around going to waste.Lisa Wood recently posted..Did You Know We Are On YouTube

Shared on facebook. Here is my second comment.
Have a well organised morning routine that the kids will follow easily. This starts the day well prepared, and you and the kids are happy and smiling when you walk out the door. No stress means happy Mum and kids:))

Starting a new school year can be overwhelming for your kids, as they can be anxious about their teachers, friends etc, so pack them a healthy lunch and pop in a little note with their favourite treat, or a picture of you and them, saying that you are looking forward to seeing them this afternoon. It brights up their day and takes their mind any concerns.

My favorite tip that my mother always did for me was to make a little gallery in our home for all my artwork. It was a special place to display my artwork from school without cluttering the refrigerator. It always made me feel so special and encouraged me to do my best at my art projects.

I spend a day with my kids in the kitchen about a week before they go back to school. We spend the day cooking muffins, cakes and biscuits. We ice them all and wrap them up individually in glad wrap. We also get a loaf of bread and make up sanwiches and wrap each one up. It helps get the kids ready for school and makes the first week really stress free, food-wise anyway!!!

I have made the mistake of ordering every thing on the booklist before my son brought his stationery home – he came home with a bag of new items and many of the things in his pencil case were fine. Also carefully check what is on the booklist too – I ordered a pair of left handed scissors once for my right handed son, whoops! Two expensive lessons learnt here.

We make heaps of sandwichs in advance and freeze them to save time of having to make them in the morning incase we are behind time. We also bake and freeze a heap of goodies for lunchs as I then know exactly what they are eatting and how much crap is going into their bodies.

My tip would be to chose a big bag even for Kindy (when the bag looks twice the size they are!). School pick ups are crazy busy and they are made so much easier to keep everything together and not lose items (read: you can shove everything quickly into the bag as they are shoving them in your face at the end of the day)!

Keep your child reading and writing throughout the holidays (our school has a holiday reading program with pool day for kids that participate) Get them to practice writing a diary or drawing images of some of their holiday fun – as it stops skills getting rusty and the first few days it is sure to be one the teacher’s requests for story writing or news time.Trish recently posted..Lego Legends of Chima { Giveaway } ~ The real reason we buy Lego

Prepare your children for school by getting them back into a good sleep routine. Ease into it over the next two weeks and then those first few days back at school won’t be such a shock [to parents as well ;)]

I follow your FB Page and have shared the competition post as well .. Holidays are not as bad as I expected. My kids will be in Year 3, Year 1 and my youngest starts Kindy.. so this is the beginning of a new stage for me.. looking forward to it.

This year, I have just given all three booklists to our local Newsagent along with $200.00 and asked them to organise it all for me.. now I just need to leave enough time to cover some books if I need to.. This year is all about Less is More.. Less stress makes More of a happy mum!!

Mbest back to school tips are
start in october so not out of pocket to much
label everything
book sleeves are so much easier than contact
i cook heaps of healthy goodies and freeze in individual ziplock bags for the term
i buy the shoes 2 weeks before school goes back
get pencils erasers rulers etc throughout the year
start the bed time routine 2 weeks before school goes back
do sight words with them in the holidays to keep thyem fresh in there minds..
come 28th january at 10am go ahhhhhhhhh i survived the holidays

My children having doing the back to school thing for many years now and are well established in their routines. we do book lists so we are organised well before school goes back, and I pick up a few extras to list through out the year when I shop. My tip is over the 6 weeks holidays, try to put away a little extra cash each week for Mummy. It’s been a long 6/7/8 weeks and you deserve a treat. Take the time to perhaps get your hair done, a mani/pedi or a relaxing lunch date with girlfriends. After the Christmas/New Year rush and school holidays, you have certainly earnt a treat!

My best back to school tip to prepare by setting things out in advance, discuss exciting things that are planned for the school year (parties, trips etc) share your own school experiences and plan for the wonderful moment when you have have them home again (special project, meal or outing). Be enthusiastic and your children will be also
Rod Jackson mrsrodjac at hotmail dot com

Routine is the key to a Stress Free Back to School a few days before school returns get them off to bed at there normal school night bedtime and wake them up when they will be getting up on a school day.
Break the routine and everything goes out the window and I nearly have a break down,lol!
I always pack snack food & do drink bottles the night before so they are ready to go, just add sandwich or wrap in the morning. Being unorganised was my school down fall until I set a routine, we are now calm and all ready 30mins early everyday, but this year we have one moving to high school so there will be a little hitch in the routine until we get his times down pat

My best back to school tip is to get outfits and backpacks ready two nights in advance. That way, the night before there’s no last minute running around or exasperating situations. And it’s easier for everyone to fall asleep and wake up calm and excited. I would also start introducing a new sleep schedule 7 days in advance so that everyone gets accustomed to the new school hours

If your kids are home alone after school establish some clear rules:
Set a time when they’re expected to arrive home from school and have them check in with a neighbour.
Specify who, if anyone at all, is allowed in your home when you’re not there.
Make sure they know to never open the door for strangers.
Make sure they know what to do in an emergency.

If your child has butterflies regarding going back to school emphasise the positive things such as hanging out with old friends, meeting new classmates, buying cool school supplies, participating in sports or other activities they enjoy, and showing off the new snazzy accessories if your child has to wear a uniform.

Make a big list of healthy snacks & other foods such as wrap/sandwiches/muffins that your kids like and stick it on the pantry door, this way they can choose what they’d like to have, you can premake then freeze items & there will always be choices rather than the same boring repeated food. (I’m doing this list with my eldest this year as she can be abit fussy in the food department ;))

This year I have one girl starting high school and one girl starting kindy! I gave the older girl her own diary and sat down with her to start filling in important dates and notes, so she can learn to be self organised at school and at home. I have resorted the small girls clothes so she has a drawer for kindy clothes and can dress herself in the mornings from this drawer. Routine and responsibility for getting themselves ready and organised is my way if helping us all have a fun year of big adventures!Natalie recently posted..Where does all the wibbly wobbly timey wimey go?

I like to pack some extra cheap pencils, erasers, reams of paper, sharpeners, blank exercise books etc for the teacher to give to kids who weren’t able to get everything off the booklist. Plus in the first week, if you have time, it’s really great to volunteer in the classroom inserting sheet protectors in folders and labeling books!

Hey there. Love your comment on my Target Back to School post so much that you’re a winner Can you email me your address and I’ll organise for your $25 voucher to be posted out. Thanks so much for entering and following along with The Truth About Mummy. CazxxCaz recently posted..A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE JANUARY THINGS

Best tip:
1. Get the children to go with you to buy what they need for school. This way they will take care of it.
2. Tell the children that they will make really good friends.
3. That you will always be their for them and will see them after school, when picking them up.

my best tip is remain calm no matter what happens if you start to stress than so does your child and then all planning goes to the wayside. Don’t beat up on yourself if your books aren’t perfectly covered or you forgot to buy the latest trend crayons. Very few of us will make mother of the year so don’t be hard on yourself, forgive yourself.

The back to school sales are awesome for discounted stationery- I always grab a few extra of things regularly used while they are cheap and place in my ‘stationery box’- that way when they inevitable happens and things go missing there is more to replace them on hand for very little cash
(I have a large family and this saves a lot of $$ throughout the year)

Invest in the new school shoes about 2 wks before they start school. Making the mistake of buying shoes early in the holidays last year, our son’s foot grew within the school holidays and off we had to go to get a brand new pair 2 days before school. Resulted in much grizzles from mum, a groan from my son and another $100 down the drain.

As the children get older I’ve found their enthusiasm to return to school wanes. But in the case of our son, he has never favoured school. To increase their ‘joy’ of school, involve them in the stationery purchases, let them choose the design of new school bag and school shoes (within reason of course!), new funky designed lunchbox. It might just bring a smile to their dial, even for a temporary time.

In the last week, give the kids a few worksheets that cover what they did in the last year to help refresh their brain and get them back into the habit of sitting down and focusing on schoolwork, doesn’t need to be much but it’ll help them get into that mindset and be confident for the new work ahead.

The best back to school tip to save money is to coupon and if you can, go after school starts. I know that sounds crazy, but the day school starts everything goes on HUGE discounted sales!!
Also, look out for the ads! Sometimes they will have 1 cent notebooks, or .50 cents crayons!!
Thanks for the giveaway!!

My best back to school tip is setting your alarm to wake up early. There’s so many things to do before you head out and not having to rush is crucial if you want to remember everything. So – get up early and check off a list if you have to.

My best tip is to do trial runs – dressing & undressing re school clothes, trying out all the features on school bags & lunch boxes, trying on the shoes & wearing them around and about a bit. Even a walk or drive to the school can be invaluable.

You don’t want to be doing any of this the first morning back & finding you have hit a snag or two.

Take tissues for the first day – a box for the classroom, god knows how many noses need wiping through the year, and a few for yourself to use while you run to the car.ClaireyHewitt recently posted..Week 1: #MyFamilyandMe

After the kids go back to school the excess back to school products are always marked down my tip is to stock up on extras at this time to ensure you don’t run out and save money at the same time plus alot of these products are great for craft at home with the kids extra value extra fun :0)

Buy bulk plain white socks..even when you think you have lots..buy more. This year i want to get through every week without hearing “i have no socks”.
Write names on everything!! i’ve had kids try and peel iron on labels off my childs items..so i do both now, its amazing how many things get lost/taken.

Hey there. Love your comment on my Target Back to School post so much that you’re a winner Can you email me your address and I’ll organise for your $25 voucher to be posted out. Thanks so much for entering and following along with The Truth About Mummy. CazxxCaz recently posted..Eureka Skydeck Melbourne ~ the best views in town

I love shopping for back to school supplies and so does my 8 year old daughter who loves stationery (she is already asking for a new pencil case even though she has about 6 others on the go!). My best back to school tip is to have a good spot / station for all the everyday school things. My spot is an old blanket box in our family room and we keep school bags, school shoes, runners, homework books, library books & bags etc in the box. There is also a hat rack above it for the school hats. It keeps everything organised and in the one place (and out of sight). And with some cushions on top it also doubles as a window seat!
Shared on FB

Make a list if the teacher hasn’t provided one and don’t forget to bring it with you so you don’t need to make multiple trips. If you have access to multiple stores, check out their catalogues first & let the kids choose their bags & lunchboxes from the pic, so you can stay within your budget and easily located, quicker shopping. I have an autistic son who had a major meltdown when he saw some creases in contact when I covered his books last year. He ripped them up. So now if I see book covers at a reasonable price, I let him choose & grab a bunch. FB follower as Chont Ok

Back to school. Haven’t even started to think about it yet!!! But I know I”m going to have to soon. My biggest tip. Fill out all notices first thing after pickup/bagunpacking and put them straight back into the pocket to be taken back to school the next day. That way you will never forget one and always know you have put them in. Trust me they come thick and fast!!

How lovely those bags are. My best back to school tip would be List! Work on a list together so that the child is participating, has some input and builds confidence with their new year ahead. It should also limit those tantrums that you got the wrong type, colour etc

Never underestimate the assistance of a snack stocked freezer to use for packing lunches. I bake double batches of muffins and slices and freeze half, wrapped individually. They defrost ready for eating by morning tea time so I know exactly what my small one is eating and don’t resort to store bough snacks. It’s not just specifically for school but they’re also handy for my own lunches too!